Louisville city officials are looking for a pricey piece of artwork stolen from right in front of Metro Hall, and they're asking for the public help in locating it.

Someone has stolen the scales of justice from Lady Justice's hands.

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"I would say karma is not good for whoever did this," said Chris Poynter, the director of communications for Mayor Greg Fischer.

Few crimes encompass so much history, mystery and irony.

"I just said, 'The scales are missing,' and it just hit me like a ton of bricks," said Tom Owen, metro councilman and historian.

Owen was giving a tour of downtown Louisville when he noticed they had been stolen. Lady Justice is part of a statue that has been on display in front of Metro Hall since 1901. It depicts Thomas Jefferson standing on top of a replica of the Liberty Bell, surrounded by four angels of civic ethics: liberty, equality, religious freedom and justice.

"It's probably pretty easy to do because if it's the middle of the night and you're back here, you wouldn't be seen from the front and you can just easily clip it and take it and be gone," Poynter said.

The statue is made of bronze -- an expensive metal -- and officials fear the scales may already have been sold for scrap. But city officials won't put a precise price tag on them.

"This is a piece of our city's history that you just can't replace," Poynter said.

And Owen said the message is far more important than the metal.

"That statue shows the angel holding the sword of truth, and then delicately balancing the scale of justice between retribution and restoration," Owen said.

Officials said they just wanted the scales restored, and that their goal isn't to prosecute anyone. Perhaps Lady Justice would feel differently.

"Maybe the justice system should lean more heavily on the side of retribution," Owen said.

"Justice will prevail," Poynter said, with a laugh.

After examining archive photographs, city officials have determined the scales disappeared sometime between 2008 and 2010. But Owen was the first to notice they were missing a few months ago.

Officials said it's possible the scales are balancing on a bookshelf in a local antique store or home. Anyone with information on where they may be is asked to call MetroCall 311.